Could the Lions Try to Spread Out the Offense in 2020?
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Last offseason, Detroit general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia brought in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to replace Jim Bob Cooter.
Bevell is known for establishing the run via a power attack.
Basically, in Bevell’s tenure in the NFL, his goal has been to out-physical opponents on the ground and to take shots deep as opposing defenses load players in the box.
The old-school, ground-and-pound style slightly goes against the trend of today’s NFL.
To start the 2019 season, Bevell’s trademark philosophy was definitely on full display.
In the aggressive downfield scheme, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns through the first eight games of the NFL season.
Unfortunately, the power running game wasn’t nearly as successful. At times, it just seemed the Lions’ backs were running into brick walls, with no holes to run through.
After a litany of injuries toward the midpoint of the year, Bevell started adjusting to his personnel, and used more three-receiver sets rather than an extra tight end or fullback on the field.
A byproduct was a more spread out offense, fewer stacked boxes and an improved running game.
In the last eight games of the season, Bevell used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three receivers) on 71 percent of the plays -- much more than the 52 percent usage in the first half of the season.
Remember, correlation does not imply causation, as there are plenty of factors in play here.
However, while the Lions started to limit the use of a fullback and tight ends in the latter half of the season, they saw their average yard-per-carry jump from 3.71 yards per rushing attempt at the midpoint to 4.41 yards per attempt in the final eight weeks.
The addition of D’Andre Swift, however, could indicate the Lions are not necessarily looking to go back to their power-running style.
Swift is not the most physical player, but he does excel in open space and in catching the football. Asking him to move a pile is not the best use of his abilities.
If the Lions can continue where they left off with Stafford from last season and have the running game from the remaining eight games of 2019, look out.
Stafford is being paid to carry the Lions through the air, but they must find a formidable rushing attack to complement Stafford’s arm in order to be a complete offense.
Who knows, maybe the Lions revert back to Patricia’s conservative ball-control style with heavy formations -- during which they struggled to run the ball.
Let’s just hope the Lions learned from their adjusted personnel usage and ground success in the final half of the 2019 campaign.
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